Gilligan at the double Danny Gilligan bagged a quick double at Ballinrobe this evening when Impero picked up the winning thread again in the McGrath Limestone Works Handicap Hurdle. The Cian Collins-trained gelding was making his first outing since finishing down the field in the Ladbrokes Hurdle at Ascot in Decemer and went to post a 4/1 shot. Baltic Bird and Extrapolation disputed the lead with the latter staying wide on the course and leading by a few lengths away from the second last. Gilligan got a lovely run up the inner turning for home to hit the front and his mount stayed on well in the closing stages to post a two-and-a-quarter length win in the €20,000 contest. The winning rider said afterwards:- “It was a lovely performance. “He was well entitled to go for a race like that (last time), it was a big handicap and he took his chance in it. Maybe he wasn’t 100 percent right on the day. “The break did him the world of good and hopefully he can come on again from that. “I felt I had a lovely position the whole way around. I could also see Danny (Mullins) in the corner of my eye, out wide. “I felt his horse was a danger going out and didn’t want to let him get too much of a lead on us. It was hard to judge because he was out so wide. “I got into a great rhythm and my lad jumped super, and he dug deep to the line. “Cian is so hungry for winners and he has a great bunch of staff and has great facilities. He gets every last bit out of every horse he has. He’s a name to look out for.”
